Enjoy oden (Japanese fish cake stew) with drinks in Hiroshima! 10 popular places to visit in the city

Photograph:YUKO0702

Sosaku Dining SHARI Nagarekawa, about a 5-minute walk from the Hiroshima Dentetsu Ebisucho stop, is a Japanese dining restaurant built around the concept of robatayaki (fireside grilling) and rice. They also serve oden (Japanese stew), with a focus on the dashi (broth).

At the counter seats, you can enjoy the aroma and sounds of the robatayaki.

Photograph:安佐南区民

The dashi (Japanese soup stock) is prepared in-house every day using the restaurant’s own blend. The dish that makes the most of it is the “Kiwami Oden (premium oden).”

They always have more than 10 kinds of oden ingredients available, and you can choose your favorites one serving at a time. The servingware is lovely, and it feels like a refined plate from a kappo (traditional Japanese fine dining) restaurant.

Photograph:ドクターユウ

Onion is a rare ingredient for oden (Japanese hot pot dish), but this one is a specialty onion grown on Awaji Island, not far from Hiroshima Prefecture.

They also serve other oden ingredients such as “Daisendori chicken meatballs,” made with the well-known Daisendori brand chicken, and seafood items like “live octopus from Hokkaido.”

Photograph:ゆめゆめ

Gonbee Hiroshima is about a 3-minute walk from the Hiroden Kanayama-cho tram stop, and here you can enjoy two kinds of oden: oden simmered in dashi broth and oden with a miso-based broth.

The menu uses photos of the oden Hot Pot itself with the name of each ingredient written on them, so it looks easy for anyone to choose.

Photograph:わたし8888

With such a wide variety of ingredients, it is hard to decide which to choose. As for dashi oden (Japanese stew simmered in broth), it is said to include not only vegetables, seafood, and meats, but many other ingredients simmered together.

The broth is full of flavor, and it is also recommended to eat it with the special miso sauce.

Photograph:にんば

This is the "miso oden (oden with plenty of miso)," coated generously in miso. It has a rich, well-seasoned taste that probably goes great with alcohol.

The "miso oden" also included unusual oden ingredients like eel and eggplant. One thing you will also want to try is yaogimo (a type of beef Horumon).

Photograph:百鬼丸もどき

Dashi to Oden Waiku, about a 5-minute walk from the Hiroshima Dentetsu Tachimachi stop, is a Japanese-style izakaya known for its oden (Japanese hot pot dish). Beyond the oden, the menu is packed with dishes that pair well with Japanese sake.

The restaurant has Semi-private room spaces divided with partitions, so you can relax and enjoy your meal in a calm setting.

Photograph:ゆーいろ

The broth that shapes the flavor of the oden is based on bonito flakes, kombu kelp, chicken bones, and shiitake mushrooms.

When you visit, it’s a good idea to start by ordering the “oden assortment,” where you can choose 3, 5, or 7 kinds. The way the oden is plated looks stylish.

Photograph:百鬼丸もどき

The oden (Japanese hot pot dish) is said to taste great when eaten with negi miso or house-made yuzu kosho (yuzu pepper paste).

To finish the meal, the set of Clay Pot-cooked rice that comes with soup and pickles is a nice choice, and the takikomi gohan (seasoned mixed rice) and ochazuke (rice with tea or broth) that make the most of the dashi are also recommended. They also offer a Special selection of Japanese sake.

Photograph:tabelog.com

Luv ODEN Hiroshima Matobacho Ten, a 1-minute walk from the Matobacho streetcar stop on the Hiroshima Dentetsu line, is a place where you can enjoy the pairing of Western-style oden and wine.

If you use the second-floor seating, you place your order with a transceiver, and the All you can drink option is self-service, adding a playful touch.

Photograph:大仏殿

They focus on creative Western style oden (Japanese stew), finished with a blend of Japanese dashi broth and beef bone consommé.

The recommended dish is the "daikon radish," a French style oden topped with a sauce made from five kinds of mushrooms. You can also choose oden with meat sauce or demi-glace sauce.

Photograph:百鬼丸もどき

The tomato, a rare oden ingredient, comes topped with green Genova sauce. If you also order the house-made focaccia, you can enjoy the leftover sauce too.

A recommended drink is the “Masu Sparkling,” poured right up to the brim of a masu (wooden sake box).

Photograph:K U N I

IRODORI is a popular spot about a 3-minute walk from the Hiroshima Dentetsu Ebisucho stop, located inside Enzeru Koji, where you can enjoy oden (Japanese hot pot stew) along with Japanese sake or wine.

The interior has a stylish feel, with counter seating available. It may be a good idea to make a reservation before visiting.

Photograph:nico1969

The assorted varieties available of oden (Japanese hot pot dish ingredients simmered in broth) are stylishly plated on dishes, which raises expectations for the taste as well.

The oden comes in an Omakase style, and you can order it as an assortment of 3 varieties or 5 varieties like in the photo. On this day, the selection included egg and chicken wings.

Photograph:かみみ

One dish you should definitely try is the “Tomato Stuffed with Meat.” The bright, colorful tomato really stands out, and it is said to be something even people who do not usually like tomatoes should try.

Creative dishes are also recommended, such as the “Grilled Seasonal Vegetables” topped with oden (Japanese stew) broth. Enjoy pairing them with wine.

Photograph:舌鼓男爵

Oden Shuka KOH is a popular restaurant about a 2-minute walk from JR Hiroshima Station, known for its wide variety of oden (Japanese hot pot dishes).

The restaurant is set in a renovated kominka (traditional Japanese house), with stylish counter seating on the first floor, while the zashiki (tatami seating) on the second floor can be arranged freely.

Photograph:ko-tz

The key here is the golden dashi (Japanese soup stock), carefully prepared over the course of a full day, and used in their oden (Japanese one-pot dish) in assorted varieties available. The menu lists a total of more than 40 ingredients across 4 price ranges.

You can also order it in the style of "Oden Omakase 5 Items," so that may be a good place to start.

Photograph:noraneko-eri＊

With this many kinds, they offer not only classic ingredients but also plenty of unusual ones.

For example, there is lettuce and something called "Healthy Burg," among others. They also have shellfish and beef Horumon, so you are sure to find a favorite oden ingredient.

Photograph:ゴリごろー

Yakiton Oden Masuya Hiroshima Ekimae Kojinmachi Ten, about a 4-minute walk from JR Hiroshima Station, is a taishu sakaba (casual Japanese pub) with red paper lanterns hanging at the restaurant, giving it an old-school feel.

The interior has a very lively atmosphere, and cheerful staff are there to welcome guests.

Photograph:lovel698

Oden made with broth from Hidaka kombu kelp from Hokkaido. Along with daikon radish and ganmodoki that are full of flavor, they also recommend fish cake accented with pickled red ginger and oysters from Hiroshima.

If you are not sure what to choose, try ordering the 4-item or 8-item Omakase oden.

Photograph:徒も楽

One notable ingredient is hana sausage (flower sausage), a Hiroshima specialty. It also seems to be sold at supermarkets around the city, and it is a bologna sausage made by a Hiroshima company.

Try your luck with the chinchirorin drink, where you roll dice for a chance to drink at a better price.

Photograph:tenchan5462

Hondori Jidori Izakaya Saku is about a 4-minute walk from the Hiroshima Dentetsu Tatemachi stop, and it has many Semi-private rooms. While valuing traditional beauty, it also creates a refined space.

They also offer an All you can eat oden plan, including their signature yakitori (grilled chicken skewers).

Photograph:Cota61

They finish the assorted varieties available oden in an excellent broth they call “Kogane dashi (golden broth).”

They have classic oden items like daikon radish and konnyaku (firm yam cake), with options such as atsuage (deep-fried tofu), beef tendon, and sausages as well. With the All you can eat plan, you may want to try every kind.

Photograph:syun1149

The “sumibi yakitori (charcoal grilled chicken skewers) All you can eat course” is also one you will definitely want to try. They serve the brand jidokko chicken, shipped directly from Miyazaki Prefecture.

One Hiroshima specialty they offer is “kaki no kankan-yaki (oysters grilled in a can),” which is cooked right in the can and is said to be one of the dishes included in the All you can eat course.

Photograph:tabelog.com

Sake to Sakana Tsumugi is about a 7-minute walk from JR Hiroshima Station and serves home-style dishes such as oden and obanzai (Kyoto-style home cooking).

The interior is a small space with only 8 counter seats, where you can enjoy food and drinks at a relaxed pace, making it a good choice for solo drinking as well.

Photograph:K U N I

The "oden assortment" is marked "atsuatsu (piping hot)" on the whiteboard inside the restaurant. It comes with classic ingredients like chikuwa (tube-shaped fish cake) and shirataki (konjac noodles).

You can also order each item on its own. It might be a good idea to compare a few first, then focus on ordering the ingredients you like best.

Photograph:ペポ29

For snacks to go with drinks, the hand-prepared "aji fry (fried horse mackerel)" and the "saba aburi (seared mackerel)" finished with wine are a perfect match.

A good pick to finish the meal is the house-made "beef tendon curry." You can choose either a regular size or a small size.

Photograph:K U N I

Oden Sueyoshi, about a 3-minute walk from the Kanayamacho stop on the Hiroshima Dentetsu streetcar line, is a popular spot where you can enjoy tasty oden and a wide variety of drinks.

Tucked away in the back of the entertainment district, the restaurant is said to have a quiet, calm atmosphere where you can relax and take your time.

Photograph:かみみ

According to the menu, 27 ingredients are listed as options for oden, ranging from the classic daikon radish to pouches filled with Camembert cheese.

They also offer unusual ingredients such as koune (part of the brisket) from the shoulder belly near the cow's front leg and overnight dried Horumon.

Photograph:K U N I

Items on the menu marked with a "○" sign can be served split in half. If you visit with a group, it’s nice to share and try a variety of fillings, and having them cut in advance makes them easier to eat.

To finish, why not try the yaki-onigiri (grilled rice ball) oden.